Hamas terrorists hand released hostages bizarre 'gift bags' in video, here's what they contain

The hostages reportedly described the gift bags as a “cynical game” meant to manipulate them.

The hostages released by Hamas were reportedly handed a bizarre “gift bag” before they were handed over to the Red Cross. The terror group shared a propaganda video documenting the hostages’ return. The bags contained “gifts and souvenirs,” including photos of the hostages in captivity, a commemorative photo of Gaza, and a kind of certificate, as reported by the Israeli outlet Ynet.

This image grab from a handout video released by the Hamas Media Office shows Israeli hostages (L to R) Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbracher, who were abducted by Palestinian militants during the October 7, 2023 attacks, posing with documents bearing the logo of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, certifying the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal in the war between Israel and Hamas, as they sit in a Hamas vehicle before being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Gaza Strip on January 19, 2025. (Photo by HAMAS MEDIA OFFICE / AFP) (AFP)

What does the video show?

The three hostages who were released – Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher – are filmed being loaded into a car. A Hamas terrorist is then seen giving each hostage a paper bag with the group’s crest on it.

The women are seen smiling while holding up gold-gilded certificates. They are then whisked away by a group of armed and masked terrorists. The certificates they were handed have been referred to as “certificates of release,” according to the Jerusalem Post. The outlet reported that the hostages described the gift bags as a “cynical game” meant to manipulate them.

The rest of the video, obtained by the Times of Israel, shows the Israelis being driven through the streets of Gaza city in a motorcade of armed terrorists. Crowds are seen mobbing the vehicles, pounding on the windows and chanting in Arabic. The cars have to stop at several points as the crowd refuses to part.

The hostages finally arrived at a convoy of Red Cross cars. They were signed over and eventually driven off to safety.

The three hostages who have been set free by Hamas were the first of 33 expected to be released over the course of the first of three phases of the cease-fire deal. In seven days, another four hostages are supposed to be released.

The first phase is expected to consist of women, children, and the sick, wounded, or elderly. The second phase will start to be negotiated in about 16 days, and is supposed to include hostages who are in the Israeli military.